Whiting: White-water kayaking in north O.C.? Yes, it's true

Oct. 22, 2012

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Kayakers paddle along the Santa Ana River in Yorba Linda after Orange County Coastkeeper received the necessary permits. The nonprofit group hopes to work with county officials and open up kayaking more regularly. TEXT BY DAVID WHITING, COURTESY OF ORANGE COUNTY COASTKEEPER

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A small section of relatively minor rapids on the Santa Ana River in north Orange County offers a good experience for beginning kayakers. TEXT BY DAVID WHITING, COURTESY OF DAVE ST. AUBIN

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A kayaking group paddles along the Santa Ana River near the 91 freeway. The brush overhanging the river could be cleared for a better experience. TEXT BY DAVID WHITING, COURTESY OF DAVE ST. AUBIN

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Several groups of kayakers recently explored the Santa Ana River in Yorba Linda after receiving permits. COURTESY OF ORANGE COUNTY COASTKEEPER

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James Sparks enjoys a white-water moment on one of the many rivers he's kayaked in 20 years. A kayak instructor, Sparks is operations manager at heart valve manufacturer Metronics in Santa Ana. He recently helped guide a portion of the Santa Ana River in Yorba Linda. TEXT BY DAVID WHITING, COURTESY OF JAMES SPARKS

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Dave St. Aubin, kayaking guide, emerges from the Santa Ana River in Yorba Linda after helping others through a 2-mile passage. The trip was made possible after Orange County Coastkeeper obtained the necessary permits. TEXT BY DAVID WHITING, COURTESY OF ORANGE COUNTY COASTKEEPER

Kayakers paddle along the Santa Ana River in Yorba Linda after Orange County Coastkeeper received the necessary permits. The nonprofit group hopes to work with county officials and open up kayaking more regularly. TEXT BY DAVID WHITING, COURTESY OF ORANGE COUNTY COASTKEEPER

Features: The river threads through natural areas in north county, winds through the Riverview Golf Course north of the 22 freeway, and then along a concrete culvert south of the 22.

Can you imagine kayaking in north Orange County?

Check out the photos with this column.

Yes, those are kayaks on the Santa Ana River – in Yorba Linda.

There are environmentalists who want to fence off the natural world and there are environmentalists such as the group Orange County Coastkeeper.

Coastkeeper understands that meaningful, tactile connections with the natural world are some of the best ways to get people involved with helping the planet.

One of the nonprofit's latest efforts is to open up the Santa Ana River to kayaking.

Let's hope Coastkeeper is successful. The group already has a promising start.

ANTI-KAYAK LAW

I'm sure Coastkeeper's recent trip on the river wasn't the first time the Orange County portion of the Santa Ana River has seen kayaks.

But it likely was the first legal trip in decades. Permits aren't easy to get in an area that's officially a flood-control channel.

Consider the county ordinance that Coastkeeper shared: The ordinance states, "It shall be unlawful for any person to wade, bathe, skin dive, swim, float, launch or occupy any paddleboard, surfboard, kayak, canoe, boat, tube, or similar craft, or any object or device capable of transporting a person on or in any creek, channel, canal, river, ditch, pipe or aqueduct within the jurisdiction and control of the Orange County Flood Control District."

Whew.

There's some sound safety and environmental reasoning behind the law, I'm sure. But there's also some sound reasoning behind Coastkeeper's crusade: "The Santa Ana River is an untapped jewel for kayakers right here in Orange County.

"Unlike what most people tend to believe, the area is a rich, flowing river with an abundance of natural reaches, and not just water in a concrete channel."

After more than a year of work, the organization recently was able to get kayaking permits for a short period. I was unable to make the trip, so I talked to James Sparks, who kayaked a 2-mile stretch.

THE JOURNEY

Sparks, operations manager at heart valve manufacturer Metronics in Santa Ana, has been kayaking for two decades. He's kayaked in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and throughout the United States.

Now Sparks has bragging rights to something few of his peers can claim: He's kayaked next to the 91 freeway.

Sparks kayaked the stretch three times, putting in at Gypson Canyon Road and taking out at Yorba Linda Boulevard.

The first time, Sparks and his buddies ensured that the river was navigable. It was – although overgrown riverbank shrubs choked the passage in some areas. His second and third trips were to help escort others.

Sparks, a certified kayak instructor, found just enough white water to make it interesting for beginners.

As he has a 12-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter, Sparks said he'd love to take his children on the river – once the brush is cleared.

He also said it wouldn't be that much work.

His Yorba Linda excursion certainly wasn't Sparks' wildest adventure. But it was one of his more meaningful trips.

"Everyone had an incredible time," Sparks told me. Of a relatively new kayaker, Sparks offered, "a gentleman gave me a big hug and said it was the greatest thing he's done in his life."

If you've kayaked, you understand.

If you haven't kayaked, rent one and check out Newport Bay.

Or wait until the Santa Ana River is (hopefully) opened.

KAYAKING BEAUTY

Sparks describes the challenge of kayaking this way: "You can take it as far as you want."

He describes the beauty of kayaking another way: "We go out in the evening in Newport's Back Bay and watch the sunset.

"It's like taking a weekend in the middle of the week."

Sparks also ocean kayaks. He's ridden waves at Trestles, south of San Clemente. But if he wants to kayak in Southern California, he generally heads to the Kern River, a way-long drive.

After kayaking the Santa Ana, one guide put the Kern River commute in perspective: "It was great to not have to drive over three hours to the Kern River in order to get my boat wet."

But will Sparks and his colleagues have another chance to hit the mighty Santa Ana?

BUREAUCRATIC HURDLES

Coastkeeper has hopes for the future: "We, too, have a healthy, flowing river that could potentially be enjoyed by all."

The group also puts the river in perspective: "The Santa Ana River has tremendous historical significance for this region.

"From the Native American tribes that once inhabited the lands, to the Spanish pueblos and ranchos, which gave root to many Orange County cities, and the orange groves that dominated the region for many decades, Orange County has depended on this river.

"After the 1938 flood that devastated the region, the Army Corps of Engineers completed Prado Dam in 1941 to keep Orange County safe of future threats from the river."

And therein lies some bureaucratic rethinking.

Coastkeeper argues, "It is clear after running these trips that there is a need and desire to have public access made available to the Santa Ana River.

"Along with Inland Empire Waterkeeper and its Santa Ana River Initiative, we hope to provide unique outdoor places to spend time with family, connect with nature and gather with the community.

"For now, we will carry on in our mission to show the powers-that-be, that this river is alive, belongs to the residents of Orange County, and is more than a flood control channel."

FUTURE HOPES

Experience has shown that our county Board of Supervisors can be thoughtful, caring stewards of the outdoors.

A year ago, a majority – Janet Ngyuen (1st District), Bill Campbell (3rd District), Patricia Bates (5th District) – stepped up to purchase land off Modjeska Grade near Santiago Canyon Road. The parcel made public a private portion of the Santiago Truck Trail.

Plans were made to construct a parking lot with restrooms, moves which – if implemented – will help save lives. (Currently, cyclists and hikers still must make their way up the narrow Modjeska Grade to the trailhead.)

Opportunities to kayak the Santa Ana are equally exciting.

One of my favorite times kayaking was with my son in Newport Beach's Upper Back Bay. Other favorite times include gliding over lakes in North Carolina and Oregon, and navigating bits of white water.

For now, no more trips are scheduled on the Santa Ana River.

But Coastkeeper has opened our eyes to new possibilities.

David Whiting's column appears four days a week; dwhiting@ocregister.com.

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